


Musically Inclined

by Res



Category: dragon - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-03
Updated: 2003-07-03
Packaged: 2017-10-20 23:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/218054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Res/pseuds/Res
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherbeth is Musically Inclined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Musically Inclined

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes and Disclaimer: Pern isn't mine and Pern fanfiction was authorized by Anne McCaffery, the owner of the world and universe of Pern. So...these really ARE mine! Amazing! Originally created and printed in Telgar 5 'zine.
> 
> Notes: To 'crib' means to support a large block of stone. A technique used in mining and building.

**  
"Musically Inclined"   
**

1282.5.13  
 _"R'KI!!!_ Get your dragon _OUT_ of the LOWER CAVERNS!!! _NOW!!!"_ The bellow echoed around the dining area. The harpers sitting at the hearth faltered in their song, then stopped completely as the embarrassed weyrling bounced to her feet and raced out of the caverns.

 _"Sherbeth! What are you doing??"_ R'ki stumbled to a halt in front of her dragon. The yearling green dragon had managed to wedge her head and shoulders into the passage leading from the Bowl, blocking the opening completely. An irate bronzerider stood next to the dragon's head, foot tapping impatiently.

"Remove your dragon from this passage _immediately_ , weyrling! Don't you know she could tear her wings on the rock? You should take better care of your dragon!" The bronzerider frowned at her.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again, sir!" R'ki leaned on a green shoulder, encouraging her dragon to back out of the passage. _"Sherbeth, you promised you wouldn't do that any more! You promised!"_

 _I'm sorry...but I couldn't hear the singing very well. I just meant to put my head in the hole so I could hear better. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I thought no one would notice me...._

 _"How could someone NOT notice a mostly-grown green dragon plugging the only access to the Bowl?!?!"_

 _But I couldn't hear the singing!_

R'ki sighed as her dragon cleared the tunnel. Turning back to the bronzerider, she apologized again, shamefaced. The rider harumphed and stalked away across the Bowl, leaving the weyrling and her dragon in the shadows of the cliff-face.

Sherbeth hung her head, her eyes yellow in distress. _I got you in trouble again, didn't I?_

R'ki leaned against the green dragon's shoulder. _"No, not really."_ She grinned at the dragon as Sherbeth swung her head around to look at her rider. _"Not any more than usual, anyway."_ She reached up and rubbed a proffered eyeridge. _"It was good singing, though, wasn't it?"_

***

1282.5.24  
The stars sparkled brightly in a night so black it was blue. The unusually clear and warm day had lead to a crisply cool night, but the celebrants were too busy dancing to notice. It had been a fine Gather and was shaping up to be a beautiful night for dancing. The wine was flowing freely, the women were beautiful and willing, and the Harpers were just getting warmed up.

"Riki! Come dance with me!" laughed a handsome holder lad.

R'ki looked up from the game of dragonpoker she was watching. "Roebyn! It's been turns! Sure, I'll dance with you." The small dragonrider set her cup of wine down by a friend and grabbed the lad's hand. "Hey! Sounds like they're starting 'Miners Crib and Watch the Ladies'."

"Your favorite dance, I know!" Roebyn grinned and pulled her toward the dance ground.

The lead Harper at the moment, a tall gangly fellow dressed head to toe in dark blue and wearing a large floppy hat, stood at the edge of the music stage and began to call instructions to the dancers. "Grab your partner, make a rope! Ladies to the front, lords to the back and hold the beat!" A Harper behind him, dressed in a blue tunic and brown leggings, began to beat a simple rhythm on a large drum as all of the Harpers began to chant, "Kick, up, down, step! Kick, up, down, step!" over and over. The lines of dancers linked arms and began to move.

"Twist the rope and bend it back!" called the Harper in the hat. The Harpers behind him began to add to the melody, one instrument at a time, until it became a complex, twisting tune leading the movements of the dancers. The Harper directing the dance called out obscure and intricate instructions as the dancers moved faster and faster, following the increasingly rapid beat of the drum. R'ki laughed breathlessly as she bobbed and bowed, twisted and turned in the rope of dancers, enjoying herself thoroughly.

Finally, the beat began to slow and the rope of dancers began to untangle itself. Panting, R'ki disengaged her arm from the girls on either side of her and turned to face her dance partner. "Oh, that was fun! I haven't done that in ages!"

Roebyn grinned. "Doesn't look like you forgot anything! You didn't misstep even once."

R'ki blushed at the admiration in his eyes. "I want that cup of wine I had...."

Behind them, the Harpers had changed from dance tunes to ballads, allowing the die-hard dancers a few moments to rest and chat (and rehydrate). R'ki and Roebyn moved back to the dragonpoker game to retrieve R'ki's cup, then headed out into the Gather proper to find a wine and juice merchant, the music following them.

***

Up on the fireheights, the dragons could hear the music faintly. Most of them ignored it and simply rested, occasionally chatting amongst themselves about whatever idle thought entered their minds. One however, a small green on the end, sat up and listened appreciatively to the dance music. Her eyes whirled blue and green with pleasure as the Harpers below delivered a foot-thumping, thigh-slapping rendition of 'Miners Crib and Watch the Ladies'.

She listened appreciatively until the end of the dance-set, watching the dancers prance around the circle of packed dirt, swinging each other first one way, then the other. Finally the dancers slowed and parted, and the Harpers changed to softer ballads.

The green listened for a moment, then her eyes slowly changed from blues and greens to reds and yellows. Silently, she spread her wings and glided down to a clear spot several dragonlengths behind the Harpers, well away from the Gather stalls and crowds of people. Landing softly in the shadows, she flipped her wings silently to her back and paced quietly toward the lights and music.

***

Taylor yawned, stretched, and looked around. There were a lot of people around. The music had gotten quieter, too. He could see his mommy over to one side, talking to friends, but his daddy wasn't anywhere. He became concerned. Where was his daddy? He'd been there when Taylor when to sleep...he'd been bouncing Taylor on his knee in time to the music.

The toddler pushed the heavy wool cloak that he'd been wrapped in away and stood. Where was his daddy? He scanned the crowd. No his daddy wasn't over there…. He heard a sound behind him and turned to look into the darkness. Could that be his daddy? Playing a game with him?

With a delighted giggle, the little boy took off into the shadows behind the Harpers' platform.

***

The little green dragon settled herself about a dragonlength behind the Harpers' platform, resting on her belly and curling her tail forward as she prepared to enjoy the singing. Sighing softly in appreciation, she allowed her head to lower onto her forepaws and her wings to droop down to the ground on either side of her.

When the song ended, she lifted her head a little and softly coughed in admiration, careful to keep the sound under the applause from the crowd in front of the platform, but unable to refrain from showing her enjoyment. Her eyes whirled with the slow aquamarines and turquoise blues of total contentment as she lowered her head again.

A sound to her left caused her to jerk upright again. Peering leftward, she spotted a small human hatchling toddling its way toward her. Startled, she flipped her wings primly onto her back and prepared to rise, but the hatchling had seen the movement and had turned to approach her. Not wanting to frighten the little thing, the dragon froze, only tipping her head to the side slightly as the hatchling approached, to better watch.

The hatchling appeared fascinated by her eye. With a gurgle, it pointed a fist at her face and bounced, pumping its arm up and down. Taking this, correctly, to be a command to lower her head so the hatchling could look at her, the little dragon extended her muzzle carefully towards the little one, careful to keep her sensitive eye just out of poking range.

The little human giggled and gurgled as it watched the lights whirl in her eye. Tottering closer, it plunked itself down on her wrist and began to carry on a conversation with her. The sounds 'da da' were repeated many times, but beyond that, the green could not make any sense of the vocalizations. Dipping her head in confusion only brought a new burst of nonsense.

The human hatchling gurgled and cooed happily at her, apparently unfazed by her lack of contribution to the conversation.

***

"Kellee! Where's Taylor?" Danel dropped his mug of klah and ran to his wife with the empty cloak.

"Wasn't he with you?" Kellee looked at her husband, wide-eyed.

***

R'ki and Roebyn had just found the wine and juice merchant when it happened. There was a terrified shriek from the dance area. Then another, more hysterical shriek, followed by shouting and a distinctly discordant jumble of sounds from the Harpers.

 _I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I couldn't hear the singing!_ burst into R'ki's mind.

"Oh no...!" R'ki groaned. "Sherbeth! What are you doing!?!"

Roebyn gave her a startled look. "Sherbeth...?" he asked.

"My dragon." R'ki started to run back towards the dance square.

"Your dragon? What does your dragon have to do with this?" Roebyn bolted after her.

"I don't know...but I'm going to find out!" The two of them all but flew through the crowds, back towards the dancing area.  
 _  
"Sherbeth! What's going on?"_

 _I didn't mean to scare anyone! I was just sitting here, listening to the music and he came over and sat on my foot!_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

More shouts came from up ahead, made incomprehensible by the distance and the multitude of voices. R'ki and Roebyn entered the dance area and headed for the crowd of people milling by the Harpers' stage. R'ki began to push her way through, followed closely by Roebyn, when someone looked down and saw the dragonrider rank-cords on her shoulder.

"It's a dragonrider! Let her through!" The crowd parted, curling back like waves from the bow of a ship.

R'ki stepped clear of the crowd to find the Harpers holding everyone away from the shadowed area behind the stage. Off to one side, a man and a woman, decked out in their Gather finest, held each other and stared fearfully into the shadows, the woman shaking.

***

Sherbeth was holding very still. The little hatchling was still sitting on her wrist, but he wasn't laughing any more. He was trying to see what was going on, now that the music had stopped.

"Booogd! Boo boo doo goo boo ba!" the little one announced, cheerfully, bouncing.

She could feel R'ki's consternation as her rider made her way through the crowd gathering at the edge of the Harpers' platform.

 _I'm sorry,_ she wailed in her rider's mind. _I couldn't hear the music! I didn't_ do _anything!_

 _"It's ok, Sherbeth,"_ R'ki soothed. _"Just tell me what happened. You're not in trouble and neither am I. Relax. Now.... What happened?"_

R'ki pushed her way clear of the crowd and stepped around to the back of the Harpers' platform. Glancing at the human couple standing to the side and holding each other, she moved towards her dragon, sitting in the shadows.

 _I was just sitting here, listening to the music, and he came over and sat on me and started to_ gurgle _at me..._ she _came around the corner and screamed and...and.. and...._

***

R'ki was trying desperately not to giggle at her dragon's hysteria. Sherbeth wasn't moving a muscle, eyes wide and whirling with distressed yellows and oranges. R'ki couldn't tell who looked more frightened, the child's mother or her dragon.

"Taylor," she called softly, as she approached the dragon, having heard the name as she made her way through the crowd. "Taylor, come here, your daddy is looking for you."

Taylor burbled happily and made his tottering way to her. With a grunt of effort, the petite dragonrider lifted him up and set him on her hip, mentally soothing her dragon as she walked over to the distraught parents.

"Sherbeth is sorry she caused such concern -- " she began.

"No, no!" interrupted Kellee, the little boy's mother. "I'm sorry...I know a dragon would never hurt a human...she just startled me! She is so dark, I didn't see her until I was almost on top of her, and then I was afraid I'd startled her and she might hurt Taylor by accident."

"We are not angry," added the boy's father, Danel. "We were just startled... I've never seen a dragon so close to a Gather without her rider before.... Isn't that unusual for a dragon?"

R'ki grimaced wryly. "Well...Sherbeth is a little more...social than many dragons."

The parents nodded, and turned to take their child away, scolding him lovingly for having given them such a fright. Roebyn stepped closer as the crowd began to disperse. R'ki thanked the Harpers for their assistance with crowd control.

"Well, it sounds like the evening is pretty much finished here...," Roebyn murmured. "Do you have any...further plans?"

R'ki sighed regretfully. "I'm sorry Roebyn. Sherbeth is still a little distressed. I should probably take her back to the Weyr...maybe next time?"

Roebyn nodded, understandingly. "Well...look me up next time you are in the area. It was very nice to see you again...." He started to step away and R'ki turned to her dragon. She began to tighten and adjust the ridingstraps and was preparing to mount (thinking about having to face Weyrlingmaster K'vek in the morning when word of Sherbeth's adventure reached him) when she was startled by Roebyn's voice again.

"She is a beautiful dragon, Riki.... But I didn't know dragons were particularly social...?"

R'ki pulled herself up onto Sherbeth's back before replying, "Well, actually... it was the music. You could say Sherbeth is...musically inclined." She waved. "Good night!"

Sherbeth launched herself into the night sky, still chattering to her rider, _Really, I was only there because they sang so quietly. I couldn't hear them up on the fireheights. They sang good, didn't they?_

END


End file.
